1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cooling device, particularly a switchgear cabinet, having a cooling circuit which has an evaporator, a condenser and a compressor, in which condensation water generated is evaporated in a condensate-vaporizing device having an electrically heatable condensation water receiving chamber.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Known cooling devices are for example employed for air-conditioning switchgear cabinets, in which a number of electronic components are housed, which emit a considerable amount of dissipated energy in the form of heat. The condensation water created at the evaporator drips off and is caught in a condensate collecting vessel arranged underneath. It is known to feed the condensation water by a pump arrangement from the condensate collecting vessel to an electrically heated condensate-vaporizing device, in which the condensate evaporates and is dissipated to the environment in the form of water vapor.
Reaching a filling limit of the condensation water in the condensate collecting vessel is determined by a sensor arrangement, or a float-type switch, which switches the pump arrangement on and the heater in the condensate collecting vessel. As soon as the condensate level in the condensate collecting vessel drops below a predetermined fill level, the pump arrangement, as well as the heater in the condensate-vaporizing device, is shut off. This solution is very elaborate in a technical sense and thus cost expensive and also error-prone due to the complex construction. Also, such an arrangement takes up a relatively large structural volume.
A cooling device is known from German Patent Reference DE 198 17 247 A1, in connection with which a heating device is arranged in the condensate collecting vessel for vaporizing the condensation water, so that some type of a condensate-vaporizing device is created. Because of the limited structural space such condensate-vaporizing devices may only have small structural size, and the vaporizing output is small. When a large amount of condensate is accumulating, condensate runs off past a provided safety overflow and is discharged through a run-off hose into the environment. Undesired puddles can form on the ground here.